1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention is swing-arm racks for storing and/or displaying clothes, jewelry, accessories, ties, linen, and other articles that are amenable to being hung from a rack.
2. Scope and Usage of Certain Terms
The following lexicon sets forth the intended scope and meaning of certain terms and concepts used herein. The definitions set forth here include the plural and grammatical variations of the terms defined. Examples used in the definitions are intended to illustrate and clarify, and not to limit, the definitions. Unless otherwise noted, meanings of terms not included in this lexicon are to be determined by reference to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1973.
Swing-arm rack—a rack of the type in which the upper terminus of an elongate swing-arm is pivotally fixed to a support so that the lower end of the swing-arm is free to swing up and down in an arc.
Upper end and lower end—with respect to an elongate swing-arm of the type having an upper terminus and an opposing lower terminus, as disclosed below, “upper end” refers to the portion of the swing-arm from approximately its midpoint to and including its upper terminus, and “lower end” refers to the portion of the swing-arm from approximately its midpoint to and including its lower terminus.
Free end and fixed end—with respect to an elongate drop-arm of the type having a free terminus and an opposing fixed terminus, as disclosed below, “free end” refers to the portion of the drop-arm from approximately its midpoint to and including its free terminus and “fixed end” refers to the portion of the drop-arm from its midpoint to and including its fixed terminus.
Inward surface and outward surface—with respect to an elongate swing-arm as described below, the inward surface of the swing-arm is the surface facing the vertical support to which the swing-arm is connected. The outward surface of the swing-arm is the surface facing away from the vertical support.
Hanging articles—items that are amenable to being stored and/or displayed by being hung from a swing-arm rack. By way of illustration, such hanging articles include scarves, ties, clothing, accessories, jewelry, towels, linens, cooking implements, and tools.
Lateral projection—the element of a swing-arm rack projecting laterally from the swing-arm for the purpose of receiving and holding one or more hanging articles. Such lateral projections may take the form of, by way of example, rods, hooks, dogs, pegs, or fingers.